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84 : Śramaņa, Vol. 64, No. 4, Oct.-Dec. 2013
progressing toward liberation, a goal often thought to be reachable only through austerity.
The Namokāra mantra is “The most frequently uttered prayer and sacred formula in Jainism; an expression of homage to the five worship-worthy beings; the Tīrthankars, the liberated souls, the ascetic leaders, the ascetic preceptors and the ordinary ascetics." In reciting this so called Mahā-mantra of Jainism, one says “I bow to the arhats, I bow to the siddhas, I bow to the āchāryas, I bow to the teachers, I bow to the sādhus," as the primary content of the mantra, but then this mantra is finished with saying "This five-fold mantra destroys all sins and obstacles and of all auspicious mantras, is the first and foremost one," thereby reiterating why it is considered the Mahā-mantra of their religion. It should be noted that when the Pañca parameşthi version of the Namokāra mantra is recited it is only towards the five supreme beings, while when called the Navakāra mantra the four supreme attributes additionally listed in the Siddhacakra are also recited. In addition to simply stating that one bows in devotion to the the Arhat, Siddha, Ācārya, teacher and Sādhu respectively, the mantra states the outcome of its recitation is that the mantra itself destroys sins and obstacles (karma) so that one may progress towards becoming the very Arhat that the mantra is used for worshipping.
There is a long tradition of writing down the mantra at the start of a text or inscription, to ensure, as stated above that obstacles will be overcome. The earliest example of this practice is from the Hathigumpha inscription from 162 B.C.E., which also mentions the Jain King Kharvela. No one knows exactly how old the mantra is but Hemacandra gives an account of its earliest place in legend when he writes in his work, Trişaștiśalākā puruşacaritra (The Lives of the Sixty Three Great Men), that Pārsvanātha, the Tīrthankara before Mahāvīra, recited this mantra in order to magically ensure that two dying snakes would magically be re-incarnated as the king
